Geography

Togo, twice the size of Maryland, is on the south coast of West Africa
bordering on Ghana to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Benin to
the east. The Gulf of Guinea coastline, only 32 mi long (51 km), is low
and sandy. The only port is at Lomé. The Togo hills traverse the central
section.

Government

Republic transitioning to multiparty democratic rule.

History

The Voltaic peoples and the Kwa were the earliest known inhabitants.
The Ewe followed in the 14th century and the Ane in the 18th century. The
Danish claimed the land in the 18th century, but by 1884 it was
established as a German colony (Togoland). The area was split between the
British and the French under League of Nations mandates after World War I
and subsequently administered as UN trusteeships. The British portion
voted for incorporation with Ghana. The French portion became Togo, which
declared its independence on April 27, 1960.

Togo's first democratically elected president, Sylvano Olympius, was
overthrown in 1963. He was shot and killed by Sgt. Etienne Eyadema while
he attempted to scale the walls of the American Embassy to seek asylum.
The government of Nicolas Grunitzky was overthrown in a bloodless coup on
Jan. 13, 1967, led by Lt. Col. Etienne Eyadema (now called Gen. Gnassingbé
Eyadema). A National Reconciliation Committee was set up to rule the
country, but in April, Eyadema dissolved the committee and took over as
president. He suspended the constitution, banned political parties, and
created a cult of personality around his presidency; his official
biography describes him as a “force of nature.” Under pressure from the
West, Eyadema legalized opposition parties in 1993, but the first
multiparty presidential election in Aug. 1993 (which gave Eyadema more
than 96% of the vote) was considered fraudulent, as was his 1998
reelection. In Feb. 2005, Eyadema died—he had been Africa's
longest-serving ruler (38 years). A day after his death, the military
installed his son, Faure Gnassingbe, to serve out his term. Gnassingbe
took office on Feb. 7 amid strong international condemnation. Under
internal and external pressure, Gnassingbe stepped down later that month
and agreed to elections on April 24. Violent protests surrounded the
elections, and these protests grew when the results were announced:
Gnassingbe won 60% of the vote while main opposition candidate Bob Akitani
received 38%. On May 4, Gnassingbe was sworn into office. In June,
Gnassingbe appointed opposition leader Edem Kodjo as prime minister.